Linda Nolan
Speaking from the heart
MY consultant has always said that being positive is half of it when it comes to treatment for cancer.
“You have to give it all you have got and we’ll do the rest,” he tells me.
From what I can see, the Princess of Wales has absolutely nailed it.
Isn’t that video fabulous? It is so heartwarming, so positive, after all they have been through.
I was smiling as I watched it (with my gappy teeth – although finally, next week, I’m having the new ones on a plate fitted. My Colgate smile awaits!)
They even look like a normal family, which of course they are (well, they’re not, but you know what I mean). That’s the point she’s making, I think. That after all she has faced, she’s found it’s those closest to her, and the most normal moments of all that she spends with them, like playing cards or sitting on the beach, which are most important. As she says, life is about loving and being loved.
I feel really lifted by it, actually. It’s what I’ve found, too. Since the news came that my cancer had spread I’ve been spending so much more time with my family. Denise is never rid of me of course. I really don’t think I could live on my own again.
Our eldest brother Tommy now checks in every Sunday and often joins us. I definitely see more of Maureen and she’s even moved in as my chief medic this week while Denise and Tom are away.
It’s the most normal moments with them I appreciate. This week we drove out to lunch, found the place closed, so bought ice cream on the promenade and sat in the car to eat it.
The whole family is in a WhatsApp group and appears like the cavalry whenever there’s difficult news.
We eat, hug, then go back to someone’s house for more tea.
Close friends, too. Linda’s Peach Melba Club is just one of the WhatsApp groups who rally round for lunch or brunch (named after a famous £8 peach melba the size of a house I consumed once).
I’m with Kate all the way. Except perhaps for the butterfly bit. I can’t stand the fluttering. You’d have to strap me down and release it from my nose.